Nonfiction | Chapter 16

A Sacred Whole

David Dark erases divisions in Life’s Too Short to Pretend You’re Not Religious

By Maria Browning | February 29, 2016

February 29, 2016 We all hold something sacred, even if it’s only the right to hold nothing sacred. In Life’s Too Short to Pretend You’re Not Religious, David Dark sets out to wring some deeper truth from this facile notion and find possibilities for connection hidden within the very beliefs that appear to divide us. Dark will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 4, 2016, at 6:30 p.m.

To Tell the Truth, Slants and All

Crooked Letter i is a collection of coming-out stories from Southerners

By Beth Waltemath | February 26, 2016

February 26, 2016 In Crooked Letter i, a collection of coming-out stories from Southern writers, the truth is best delivered straight but discovered through multiple angles. Contributor B. Andrew Plant will discuss his essay at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on March 3, 2016, at 6 p.m.

Someone Take the Wheel

Bob Mehr chronicles the ups and downs of the Replacements, the most gloriously dysfunctional rock band of the 1980s

By Randy Fox | February 24, 2016

February 24, 2016 Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements by Memphis writer Bob Mehr is a tale of heartbreak, triumph, and rock’n’roll rebellion. Mehr will appear in conversation with Robert Gordon at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on March 1, 2016, at 6:30 p.m.

Longing for Tribe

Memoirist Daisy Hernandez examines her life between worlds

By Maria Browning | February 22, 2016

February 22, 2016 In A Cup of Water Under My Bed, Daisy Hernandez explores the pain and contradictions of growing up in an immigrant family. Hernandez will give a free public reading at Vanderbilt University in Nashville on February 25, 2016, at 7 p.m.

To Haunt and to Goad

John Jeremiah Sullivan talks with Chapter 16 about writing nonfiction in the Internet age

By Susannah Felts | February 9, 2016

February 9, 2016 John Jeremiah Sullivan’s voice is uniquely equipped to snare readers in lengthy examinations of topics they never considered worthy of much thought. The author most recently of Pulphead, Sullivan is widely considered to be one of the great nonfiction writers of this age. He will give a free public address at the University of the South in Sewanee on February 15, 2016.

The Legend of George Jones

February 5, 2016

“George Jones lived a storied life, but his career was not without controversies. This book reveals fascinating, intimate details about the life of George Jones that have never before been published. “

–From the publisher

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker